Chapter 65

I decided to gather some information on the unknown Yellow, but when I tried to find out, there were no ways to do so.

The locations of Yubin and Yura could be found because they both had part-time jobs, and Luche managed to find their workplaces through investigation.

Green and Hayang were known purely by chance, and if not for that coincidence, we might never have learned about them.

It was the first time I resolved to find out and yet there was no proper way to gather information. One of the methods I chose was to ask Luche.

“Luche.”

“Why?”

I called Luche who was sitting in the office, staring at the computer.

“Is there any additional information on HunterKiller?”

“What kind of additional information?”

“For example, other places that Red and Pink often go to.”

“There isn’t any.”

Hearing her firm response, I didn’t feel disappointed. It was too decisive, making me think there really wasn’t any.

“Because of the rainy season, we haven’t had any battles for two weeks, and there’s nothing to investigate. How can you know anything?”

Unlike Spacystro, even though Hyper-humans have some public information, their personal details aren’t widely known.

The only known information is that some Hyper-humans caused accidents while colliding with civilians, which made news.

“Why? Can you help me find out?”

“No, I’m busy with training schedules. I’ll look into it.”

“How about surveillance?”

When monitoring Yubin, LuChe had some success, checking in frequently via phone. However, she hadn’t contacted me about Pink or Yura. LuChe now believes that surveillance doesn’t yield much useful information.

“There’s no significant information on power. As for personal information, the HunterKiller atmosphere seems better than before.”

“I don’t care about that team’s atmosphere.”

For LuChe, knowing that HunterKiller members get along well is useless information. If the atmosphere was bad, it would be valuable information. Bad atmosphere means you can look for weaknesses, but good atmosphere means nothing but reporting improved teamwork.

Even before knowing the team’s atmosphere, I knew their teamwork was good, and the only new information was that it had gotten better.

“Did you find out anything about the materials used in HunterKiller weapons or the weaknesses of Hyper-humans?”

“It’s amazing that you think surveillance can reveal such details.”

“I didn’t think about it. I just asked.”

Realizing how absurd it sounded, she blushed and looked away from me, focusing on the monitor.

“Is surveillance okay? If there’s no result, we can stop.”

“We should do our best, even if it’s just a small task.”

I had no intention of stopping surveillance immediately. I had a reason to meet Yura, and there was a slim hope of getting some information as Spacystro.

Yubin and Yura, who don’t share important HunterKiller information, might inadvertently leak something.

“I’ll go home today.”

“Already?”

“I want to check the training schedule at home.”

There was nothing else I could do at headquarters. Although I could continue gathering information on Hyper-humans, I wanted to leave early today.

“Okay. Will you come tomorrow?”

“I think I will, but I’m not sure.”

After giving an ambiguous answer, I bid farewell to LuChe and left the headquarters. The afternoon sun felt hot, and I hurried home, eager to escape the heat.

Entering the house with the door lock’s password, the cool air inside refreshed my heated face.

“Brother, you’re back?”

Yubin, who was already home, got up from the bed where she was looking at her smartphone when she saw me enter.

“It’s extremely hot outside.”

“Your face is red. Did you put on sunscreen?”

She touched my heated face with her soft hand, and I felt relieved.

“I forgot.”

“You must. What if your face gets burned?”

“I’ll remember next time.”

During lunch, I heard from Green that there was a fight during today’s meeting, and I worried about Yubin’s mood. However, she seemed fine.

“Did you do well at your part-time job today?”

I knew Yubin went to a HunterKiller meeting under the guise of a part-time job, and I hoped she’d talk if something happened. But Yubin shook her head as if nothing happened.

“Yeah. I talked to some people, and it was fun today.”

She talked to someone. Whether it was Yellow or others, I couldn’t tell, but I knew she had a conversation today.

“Will you go again tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll go in the morning and then to the convenience store in the afternoon.”

Checking if there’s another meeting tomorrow, I suddenly had a dangerous thought.

If I followed Yubin to the HunterKiller meeting, I might discover the location of the Earth Defense Union Seoul Headquarters.

I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this before, but I hadn’t considered actively investigating, so it made sense I hadn’t considered following her.

But this plan had too many risks.

First, following her was dangerous. Hyper-humans have superior senses compared to ordinary humans. I knew the chances of being discovered were high, and once discovered, I couldn’t continue the surveillance. The biggest problem was explaining myself to her if discovered.

She might misunderstand me, and I risk exposing my identity.

While there was little chance of being spotted in Seoul’s crowded streets, if the headquarters were in a remote area with few people, the chances increased. With limited information, just thinking about it made me uneasy.

“Put on sunscreen properly.”

As Yubin touched my face, she smiled.

“I’ll take care of it. You should too, Brother. Are you going somewhere this weekend?”

“Yes. Should I buy sunscreen before work tomorrow?”

Yubin thought about it, perhaps comparing the time needed to go to a cosmetics shop with her work schedule.

The downside of surveillance persisted even after reaching the destination.

Four out of five HunterKiller members knew my face, and three of them—Yubin, Yura, and Hayang—had physical relationships with me, so they wouldn’t miss me.

Would Green, who doesn’t have a physical relationship with me, recognize me?

Thinking about it, he probably would.

Assuming the best scenario, if I successfully followed Yubin to the Earth Defense Union Seoul Headquarters, the problem would be whether Yellow, the target of my information gathering, would be there.

Based on the information I gathered, she’s quiet but has a strong personality and rarely attends HunterKiller meetings. There’s no guarantee that Yellow will be there on the day I follow Yubin. Asking Yubin if Yellow will be there is impossible, and asking others would only raise suspicions.

“Yeah. It’s almost time. Let’s go together.”

Thinking about buying sunscreen I didn’t need, I had already given up on the idea of following her.

Apart from everything else, sneaking behind my girlfriend’s back is wrong, and it feels like doing something forbidden.

Honestly, it’s not impossible if I remain calm, but unfortunately, I am not that calm.

“How about a date since the rainy season is over?”

Even if it’s brief, taking my girlfriend out after a long time and possibly disappointing her is unimaginable.

Hiding my identity and meeting like this is already disappointing enough.

“Yeah.”

I was happy to go out with Yubin, and maybe the cool air from the air conditioner made me feel refreshed. I couldn’t resist and kissed Yubin.

After a gentle kiss, we looked into each other’s eyes. Then Yubin approached and kissed me again, this time longer and more passionate.

“Tired already? Want to do it now?”

My smile remained even after the kiss. Clearly, I was showing my desire. Yubin started undressing, and I did the same. We embraced each other early in the morning.

The next morning, we went out together and took the subway. For a moment, I thought we might go to Yubin’s headquarters, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

We got off at a station and headed to a cosmetics store, where I picked out sunscreen. I wanted to ask why we came here, but I hesitated, fearing her headquarters might be nearby.

“This one looks good. What do you think?”

“I don’t know. Let’s go with what Yubin thinks is good.”

Not knowing about sunscreen, I bought the one Yubin chose with my card and left the store without further browsing. Knowing the HunterKiller meeting time, I didn’t mention anything about seeing anyone and left.

Later, I noticed Yubin seemed disappointed, checking her phone for time.

“Isn’t it almost time to go to work?”

“Yeah. We can take a taxi and get there quickly.”

“Have a good day.”

I regretted not enjoying the date with Yubin, but I also hoped we wouldn’t run into someone I know. I wished we weren’t near her headquarters.

With too many risks, I gave up on following her. If someone saw us, it would be a huge setback.

Yubin still seemed disappointed, standing there and looking at her phone.

Feeling guilty about her disappointment, I felt like a terrible person.

Seeing her, my anxious feelings calmed down. Despite the heat, I gave her a light hug to share body warmth.

“I’ll wait at home.”

Yubin’s expression brightened, and she hugged me.

After hugging Yubin, I sent her off in a taxi. My uneasiness began to resurface.

There’s a Korean saying, “A thief worries about his own foot.” That perfectly describes my situation. Even knowing the low probability of running into someone, the guilt of what I’ve done makes me uneasy.

Let’s just go home nicely.

Thinking that, I walked towards the station.

Running into someone you know in the middle of Seoul is highly unlikely. But low probability doesn’t mean no probability. Even a 0.1% chance exists.

What about the probability of meeting someone whose face you know but whose name you don’t?

On the way back, I followed a person I recognized.

I never forgot the faces of HunterKiller members, so I was certain I hadn’t mistaken this person.

“Uh, uh?”

A short yellow-haired woman with a slightly dark tone, taller than the other members. I found her in the middle of Seoul, a miracle in itself.

I saw Yellow entering the arcade.